Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are improving quality, accessibility and affordability of early learning and child care for families

Governments sign a bilateral agreement

REGINA, March 16, 2018 /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are making significant investments in early learning and child care systems to help children be safe and healthy and develop to their full potential in families and supportive communities. Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and the Honourable Gordon S. Wyant, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education for Saskatchewan, announced a three-year bilateral agreement that reaffirms their commitment to and support of the unique early learning and child care needs of Saskatchewan families. These include increasing demand for affordable and quality child care spaces, and opportunities for children with disabilities, newcomers to Canada and Francophone families.

The agreement allocates just over $41 million, over three years, toward accessibility, inclusivity and quality in early learning and child care. The investment will support:

• establishing and expanding access to new licensed child care spaces;
• enhancing the quality of early learning and child care experiences for children;
• inclusive early learning opportunities for preschool-aged children who require intensive supports; and
• expanding Francophone early learning and child care for French language minority communities.

These resources aim to benefit families with unique needs, such as families with children with disabilities, those living in remote and rural communities, Indigenous families, newcomers to Canada and single parents.

This announcement follows a historic agreement, made on June 12, 2017, by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care on a Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework. The Framework sets the foundation for governments to work towards a shared long-term vision where all children across Canada can experience the enriching environment of quality early learning and child care. The Framework principles include increasing the quality, accessibility, affordability, flexibility and inclusivity of early learning and child care, with consideration for families that need child care the most.

By taking care of our children today, we're growing and strengthening the middle class for years to come. The bilateral agreement is supported by long-term Government of Canada investments in early learning and child care announced in Budgets 2016 and 2017, totaling $7.5 billion over 11 years, and is another step to help ensure that Saskatchewan children get the best start in life.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada and the provincial and territorial governments play an essential role and offer funding to support families' needs in early learning and child care. All children, especially vulnerable children, benefit from investments in this field because they can grow within families and communities that meet their physical and developmental needs. It is our responsibility to improve the lives of Canadian families and children together, and the agreement signed today brings us closer to our goal."
? The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

"Every child, across our country, deserves quality early learning and care. These investments will help us lay a solid foundation on which we can work together to build a high-quality, flexible, inclusive and affordable early learning and child care system."
? The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"Nurturing a child's potential starts in the earliest years of their life. When children have quality early learning experiences, they develop a foundation for education, leading to more success in school and far beyond. Today's investment in early learning and childcare will support our ongoing work to see every child in our province get the start in life they deserve. I look forward to seeing these investments make a difference in the lives of Saskatchewan children and their families."
? The Honourable Gordon S. Wyant, Q.C., Deputy Premier and Minister of Education for Saskatchewan

Quick Facts

• Federal Budgets 2016 and 2017 proposed to invest $7.5 billion over 11 years, starting in 2017?18, to support and create more high-quality, affordable child care spaces across the country, particularly for families more in need. Of this investment:
• $95 million will go towards closing data gaps to better understand child care challenges and needs and track progress;
• $100 million will go towards early learning and child care innovation; and
• a portion will be dedicated to strengthening culturally appropriate early learning and child care for Indigenous children.
• The federal government is working with each province and territory to enter into three-year bilateral agreements that will address the early learning and child care needs unique to its jurisdiction and funding allocation. Bilateral agreements with nine other provinces and territories have been announced: British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Yukon.
• Through the bilateral agreements, the Government of Canada will provide provinces and territories with $1.2 billion over the next three years for early learning and child care programs. Governments will report annually on progress made in relation to the Framework and bilateral agreements.
• A separate Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework is being co-developed with Indigenous partners to reflect the unique cultures and needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and families.
• Saskatchewan action plan identifies key priority areas for investment, over three years, aligning with the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework. They are:
• providing new inclusive early learning opportunities for at least 220 preschool-aged children who require intensive supports.
• improving accessibility by creating up to 2,515 new child care spaces;
• expanding Francophone early learning and child care opportunities;
• enhancing the quality of early learning and child care by:
• training early childhood educators, licensed family child care home providers and child care centre directors;
• implementing Play and Exploration: Early Learning Program Guide, supporting up to 16,000 children, in child care centres and licensed child care homes;
• supporting young children to be more physically active by implementing developmentally appropriate programs in licensed child care centres and licensed child care homes; and
• targeting opportunities for children with limited access to early learning programs to improve literacy skills among preschool-aged children.

Associated Link
Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework

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Backgrounder

CANADA?SASKATCHEWAN EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE AGREEMENT

On June 12, 2017, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care signed a Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework. This is a significant milestone in which governments agree to work together to address some of the key early learning and child care issues across the country.

Governments will work towards achieving the shared long-term vision of the Framework where all children across Canada can experience the enriching environment of quality early learning and child care. They have committed to increase the quality, accessibility, affordability, flexibility and inclusivity of early learning and child care with consideration for families that need child care the most.

The implementation of this framework, and a separate Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework to be co-developed with Indigenous peoples, is supported by federal investments announced in Budgets 2016 and 2017 totalling $7.5 billion over 11 years. Through bilateral agreements, the Government of Canada will provide provinces and territories with $1.2 billion over three years to address unique early learning and child care needs and allocate funding for each jurisdiction.

The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan have signed an early learning and child care bilateral agreement. Through this three-year bilateral agreement, the Government of Saskatchewan will receive just over $41 million for investments towards accessibility, inclusivity and quality.

By the end of the three-year agreement, this funding will:

• improve access to quality child care for Saskatchewan families by creating 1,500 new group and family child care home spaces and 1,015 new licensed child care centre spaces;
• support inclusion in early learning programing for children who require intensive supports by creating early learning pilots for preschool aged children. It is expected that at least 220 preschool-aged children who experience disability will be provided new early learning opportunities;
• increase minority language inclusion by targeting 65 licenced child care centre spaces, of the 1,015, for Francophone children; and
• enhance early learning and child care experiences for children in licensed child care by increasing quality through:
• training approximately 300 early childhood educators, 115 licensed family child care home providers and 188 child care centre directors to support the growth of the licensed child care sector;
• enhancing the early learning environments of child care centres and licensed family child care homes by implementing Play and Exploration: Early Learning Program Guide, supporting 16,000 children across the licensed child care sector;
• supporting young children to be more physically active by providing one time grant to provide play-based, developmentally appropriate programs in licensed child care centres andlicensed child care homes; and
• supporting improved literacy skills among preschool-aged children by targeting opportunities for children with limited access to early learning programs.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada